Norway hold the edge, but Ivory Coast can make this tight.
Ivory Coast Form and Insights
Ivory Coast arrive at this Round of 32 in Dallas having made history simply by being here. In four World Cup appearances, the Elephants had never previously reached the knockout stage — that barrier finally came down in Group E, where Emerse Faé’s side showed composure and resilience across three matches: a disciplined 1-0 win over Ecuador, a narrow 2-1 loss to Germany despite taking the lead, and a confident 2-0 victory over Curaçao to confirm second place. Attacker Nicolas Pépé, who scored both goals against Curaçao, enters this game as a player to watch in the knockout rounds.
- Goals scored: 1.6 per game
- Goals conceded: 0.6 per game
- Win rate: 80.0%
- Both teams score: 40.0% of games
- Clean sheets: 60.0% of games
Norway Form and Insights
Norway return to the World Cup for the first time since 1998, and Ståle Solbakken’s side have made an immediate impact in Group I — registering wins over Iraq and Senegal before resting key names, including Erling Haaland, for a final group game that ended in a 4-1 defeat to France. With their full complement of starters expected back, the Scandinavians carry significantly stronger Elo ratings into this fixture and bring the tournament’s most potent individual threat: Haaland, who has scored four goals in just two appearances and sits firmly in the race for the Golden Boot. The sole defensive concern is whether Norway can tighten up after conceding seven goals across the group stage. Absences for both sides: none reported.
- Goals scored: 2.4 per game
- Goals conceded: 1.8 per game
- Win rate: 60.0%
- Both teams score: 100.0% of games
- Clean sheets: 0% of games
Head-to-Head Statistics
These two nations have no World Cup meeting on record, making this a genuinely open encounter with no historical head-to-head signal to lean on.
Ivory Coast
Norway
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Our Prediction
The numbers lean Norway’s way — a 47% chance of victory against Ivory Coast’s 25%, with the draw sitting at 28% — reflecting a meaningful Elo gap that places Norway as the stronger side on paper. Norway’s superior recent scoring trend is tempered by a leaky defence, and Ivory Coast’s tournament composure under Faé means the draw and the upset both remain live options. Our AI Prediction Football lean is Norway, but this is a 47% confidence call: back them cautiously, with the draw very much in play.
Back Norway to win, but treat it as a narrow lean rather than a safe call given the draw sits at 28% and Ivory Coast have proven they can grind out results.
Match Details
- Date01 Jul 2026
- Kick-off01:00 MYT
- CompetitionFIFA World Cup
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